Metro Magazine, September/October 2019

44 METRO MAGAZINE COM SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2019 Grew up Houston Harris County Texas Studies I attended the University of Texas at Austin for both undergraduate and graduate school I studied government pre law as an undergraduate and taking civil engineering and public affairs classes shaped a curriculum that added a transportation focus to my Master of Science from the school of architecture Career aspirations Growing up I wanted to be a pathologist like Quincy MD But somewhere before I left for college I could no longer stand the sight of blood Industry start In my senior year of college I took a class in social psychology to fulfill my minor This class studied how land use and the accessibility of services affect people psychologically and their overall quality of life I found the class fascinating and it set a path to my passion For graduate school I secured an internship with a transportation consulting firm I quickly learned that access to safe reliable affordable and easy to use public transit can transform lives I wanted to be part of that transformation I had found my purpose Early influence I have worked in both the public and private sectors of the transit industry I do not think that it has been one job that has influenced my career but the people that I have been blessed to work with on this journey both the good examples and the bad examples Current role I collaborate with HNTBs regional and local leadership on strategic planning and implementation industry representation business development service delivery and client satisfaction Accomplishment Working with HNTB teams across the nation I am always overjoyed when I can bring a perspective idea or relationship that had not been previously captured I like to be that value added Then I like to see the team take ownership of it and run with it Projects I am very excited about HNTBs efforts to build more capacity in the transit workforce by exposing more youths and young professionals to the opportunities that exist within the industry We have several programs that build workforce capacity and they are being complemented with some new initiatives as we work with clients Our HNTB Partners Program partners with small businesses teaches them HNTB business practices and helps them apply those practices to their own companies for long term success We have successful program participants that are pursuing work as primes in Detroit Dallas and Houston In some cases we have hired local talent on projects that have gained experience that enabled them to start their own companies On the other end of the spectrum our SPARK program provides monthly sessions with junior high and high school students to expose them to career opportunities in the architecture engineering and planning industries Inspiration From one perspective it is the risk takers like Elon Musk with his Hyperloop and Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp who founded Uber They challenge us to not become comfortable and complacent They shift our paradigm make us put on our capes and realize that we have a responsibility to continue providing the public with reliable safe affordable and convenient transportation options From another perspective it is all of the women and minorities that have and still are working hard in the transportation industry that created a space for me to occupy a position of leadership at HNTB and in the transit industry I want to make sure that I build upon their achievements to create more opportunities in the future It is also my colleagues that are eager to share ideas and experiences to build strategies that address our future challenges Most of all it is every person that chooses transit at least once a week to fulfill their mobility needs They inspire me to continue to help improve and increase transit options across the nation Favorite pastimes Cooking travel for pleasure reading and spending time talking with my family If I was not in the transit industry I would probably own a bakery restaurant or try out to be the next Food Network star Kimberly Slaughter Sr VP National Transit Rail Market Sector Leader HNTB Corp Chicago WOMEN IN TRANSPORTATION